Top 9 types of durable, weather-resistant advertising panels 2025

Durable and weather-resistant advertising panels are highly appreciated in 2025, including 9 types: fluted outdoor wood-plastic panels, flat wood-plastic panels, Alu panels, Mica panels, Hiflex canvas, decals, LED lights, metal and Formex.

Corrugated slats and flat wood plastic panels stand out with their structure made from wood powder, plastic powder and additives, with good resistance to harsh weather conditions. Outdoor wood plastic panels maintain 100% color durability after 5 years of use with the 2-layer line and 90% with the ASA line.

Alu (Aluminium) panels are composite materials with a lifespan of 15-20 years but require insulation when installing electrical systems. Mica panels have 98% light transmission, suitable for making LED signboards. According to a survey by the Vietnam Advertising Association in 2024, Hiflex tarpaulin accounts for 65% of the market share of materials for making large-format advertising signs.

Metal materials such as stainless steel and copper are favored by luxury locations, while Decals and LED lights bring high aesthetics to advertising signs. Formex (PVC Foam) panels stand out with their water resistance, good bearing capacity and light weight, easy to transport and construct.

Summary table of lifespan and price of 9 types of advertising sign cladding materials in 2025 (Price updated in May 5).

“Wood-plastic materials are increasingly popular in wall and ceiling decoration items, making outdoor signs with a durability of 10-15 years thanks to the special composition of both wood and plastic.” according to Dr. Tran Quoc Ai - Construction materials expert at the Central University of Construction in 2024.

Outdoor plastic wood corrugated board

Outdoor wave panels (fluted wood plastic panels) are one of the popular materials for making outdoor advertising signs. This material has 3 types with different composition ratios:

10% additives including: UV absorbers, antioxidants, mold inhibitors, flow-enhancing coupling agents and lubricants.

The product has a variety of designs from 4 waves, 5 waves, 8 waves. Possessing a standard thickness of 14 - 28mm, with special components and applying modern technology, fluted wood plastic panels have good resistance to harsh weather conditions such as sun, rain, wind, and mold.

The 4-wave type is the most popular, often used for outdoor restaurant signs, hotels, and shopping malls. In addition, this material is also commonly used in facade decoration items, canopies, balconies, etc. The price of fluted wood-plastic panels ranges from 218.000 - 777.000 VND/㎡ (5/2025).

Outdoor plastic wood paneling

Outdoor wood plastic panels are flat panels with a similar structure to fluted wood plastic panels. The product has a variety of 2D and 3D wood grain patterns with standard thicknesses from 12 - 21mm. Product life is from 10 - 15 years with material costs of 169.000 - 769.000 VND/m² (5/2025).

With more than 10 years of experience in distributing decorative materials, Kosmos has found that wood plastic panels maintain 95% color durability after 5 years of use with 2-layer wood plastic, 90% with ASA wood plastic and 1 - 80% with 90-layer wood plastic.

Alu sheet (Aluminium)

Alu (Aluminium) sheet is a composite material consisting of a Polyethylene core sandwiched between two layers of aluminum alloy with a thickness of 0.06mm - 0.21mm. The product usually has a total standard thickness of 3mm - 6mm, and can withstand high temperatures up to 80℃.

Alu panels have excellent weather resistance with a lifespan of 15 – 20 years. However, because aluminum alloy conducts electricity with a resistivity of only 2.8×10^-8 Ω.m, insulation is required when installing electrical systems, especially during the rainy season to ensure absolute safety.

Aluminum panels have 2 types: indoor with unit price of 200.000 - 1.400.000 VND/m² and outdoor with unit price of 500.000 - 2.285.000 VND/m² (5/2025).

Tam Mica

Mica plastic sheet (Acrylic plastic sheet, organic glass) is a high-quality plastic with 98% light transmission, so it is often used to make LED signboards. With a thickness of 2-10mm, the product is highly appreciated for its heat resistance, easy processing and good water resistance. The product's lifespan is up to 10 years.

The drawback of Mica is that it fades faster than other materials and the glossy surface is easily scratched, causing loss of aesthetics. Based on reputable sources that Kosmos has researched, there are 2 popular types of Mica plastic sheets: Taiwanese Mica and Chinese Mica with prices ranging from 671.000 - 969.000 VND/m² (5/2025).

Hiflex tarpaulin

Hiflex tarpaulin is a milky white advertising material with a thickness ranging from 0.26 - 0.52mm, providing high tear resistance and mechanical strength. The tarpaulin is made of PVC plastic, the surface is covered with a layer of film to print images, slogans, and logos.

Based on many reputable sources that Kosmos has compiled, there are 3 main types of Hiflex tarpaulins on the market:

• 100% translucent Hiflex tarpaulin, allows 100% light to pass through, suitable for advertising light boxes.
• Hiflex tarpaulin is 50% translucent, allowing 50% of light to pass through, suitable for advertising signs used both day and night.
• Hiflex tarpaulin is not light-transmitting, used for advertising signs that only operate during the day or have external lighting.

The product has a lifespan of 6 months to 2 years when used for outdoor advertising signs with a material price of 30.000 - 50.000 VND/m² (5/2025).

According to a survey by the Vietnam Advertising Association in 2024, Hiflex tarpaulin accounts for 65% of the market share of large-format advertising signboard materials thanks to its low cost and ability to maintain print color sharpness up to 95% after 3 months of outdoor use.

Decal

Decal is a thin sheet advertising material with a 4-layer structure including: surface layer, adhesive layer, anti-stick layer, base layer (Kraft paper or Glassine).

The surface layer of the Decal is printed with images and product logos. The standard thickness is from 0.08mm to 0.15mm, making it easy to apply on many different surfaces. The limitation of this material is that it can fade after long-term use and is easy to peel off when exposed to water. The lifespan is from 6 months to 3 years with material prices of 50.000 - 130.000 VND/m² (5/2025).

Led light

Luminous materials such as LED lights, LED modules and modern LED matrix are chosen by many stores and businesses to make advertising signs to attract attention, especially at night. The advantages of LED lights are that they are not harmful to the environment, have a variety of colors, high luminous efficiency, and help increase the aesthetics of advertising signs.

However, the total initial investment cost is quite high at 1.800.000 - 2.500.000 VND/m² (5/2025) and requires installation and periodic maintenance techniques. The lifespan is from 50.000 - 100.000 hours, equivalent to about 5 years - 11 years of continuous lighting day and night.

Metal

Metal materials such as stainless steel and copper are commonly used to make high-end advertising signs and are favored by luxury locations such as banks, 5-star hotels and car showrooms.

• Stainless steel: It is a type of stainless steel with tensile strength of 515MPa, can withstand high temperatures (870 - 925℃), and is not prone to fire or explosion. Stainless steel is not only used for signs but is also popular in daily life when it is produced as kitchen appliances, car accessories, water tanks, etc.
• Copper: It is a ductile metal with high electrical and thermal conductivity. The maximum permeation current density of copper in outdoor air is about 3,1×106 A/m². If exceeded, copper can be rapidly corroded by environmental impact when used as outdoor advertising signs.

Metal billboards cost from 359.000 - 2.400.000 VND/m² (5/2025) depending on the thickness of the metal sheet and a lifespan of 15 - 20 years.

The advantages of metal signs and billboards are high durability, limited deformation, luxurious colors such as bronze gold, glossy white, scratched white. However, the limitation of metal is heavy weight, causing difficulties in construction and higher cost compared to other materials.

Formex material

Formex sheet (PVC Foam) is a composite material consisting of chemical foam and PVC plastic, compressed to form a solid foam sheet with a common thickness of 2mm - 20mm. The standard size of Formex sheet is 1220 x 2440mm.

Formex has outstanding advantages compared to materials in the same segment:

• Water resistant, good strength
• Can print sharp images
• Light weight, easy to transport and construct.
• Long life from 10 - 15 years
• Reasonable material cost: 178.000 - 328.000 VND/m² (5/2025).

Related question

Can Nano panels be used as signs?

Nano Panels Perfectly suitable for indoor signs with a lifespan of 10-15 years. With advantages in aesthetics, color diversity and ease of construction, Nano panels will give you a beautiful and impressive sign.

However, Nano panels are not recommended for outdoor signage. Due to the nature of the material, the panels can be affected by harsh weather conditions such as heat, rain and wind, leading to warping, fading or damage.

Where to distribute materials for making beautiful billboards and signs?

Kosmos Vietnam is one of the prestigious units specializing in providing high quality wood plastic materials, suitable for making billboards and signs. Kosmos wood plastic has 4 outstanding advantages such as:

1. High durability, good weather resistance, lifespan up to 15 years.
2. Diverse colors, beautiful natural wood grain, environmentally friendly.
3. Easy to construct and install, effective scratch resistance.
4. Beautiful like wood but termite-proof, water-resistant,...

Kosmos warehouse distributes panels for making beautiful advertising boards and signs

Kosmos wood plastic restaurant sign completed by dealer

Customers can find Kosmos materials at more than 500 dealers nationwide. If you still have many concerns about the materials used to make advertising boards, please contact Kosmos immediately at 0932 067 388 for detailed advice.